Professional Boundaries in Social Work and Social Care
A Practical Guide to Understanding, Maintaining and Managing Your Professional Boundaries
Frank Cooper
Foreword by Jonathan Coe
Paperback: £16.99 / $25.95
2012, 234mm x 156mm / 9.25in x 6in, 176pp
ISBN: 978-1-84905-215-3, BIC 2: JKS
JKSN
Professional boundaries between worker and client underpin all areas of practice in social work and social care, and the mismanagement of these boundaries can lead to unprofessional conduct and negative consequences for both worker and client.
This book is a no-nonsense guide to boundaries – what they are, why they are there and how to maintain them, from legal boundaries and policies governing behaviour to rules surrounding confidentiality. Presenting a flexible framework of rules and guidelines which can be applied to any client relationship, the book offers practical advice and suggestions on how to judge boundaries and how to manage a situation when they have been crossed. It also explores the benefit to both worker and client of establishing a good rapport whilst maintaining a professional, emotional distance. Throughout the book, and in the self-assessment test provided, the reader is invited to examine his or her personal responses to working with clients and their effect on maintaining professional boundaries.
This simple and practical reference guide will be of essential use to professionals in social work and social care working with or managing support for clients.
Blog posts
Understanding and maintaining professional boundaries in social care work – An interview with Frank Cooper
6 January 2012
"Professional boundaries are vital in social care work because we are working on a deep level with vulnerable people. This means that we have a responsibility to them to do things to the best of our ability and to ensure that our help and support does not damage or disenfranchise them. Working with difficult issues can also be very stressful and draining work, and professional boundaries help us to manage ourselves and our emotions."
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